How to Say "gravely" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “gravely” is “gravemente” — use 'gravemente' when referring to the severity of a situation, illness, injury, or consequence.
gravemente
grah-beh-MEN-tehɡɾaβeˈmente
Examples
El paciente se encuentra gravemente enfermo.
The patient is gravely ill.
El pasajero resultó gravemente herido en el accidente.
The passenger was seriously injured in the accident.
La sequía ha afectado gravemente a las cosechas este año.
The drought has severely affected the crops this year.
El director habló gravemente sobre el futuro de la empresa.
The director spoke gravely about the company's future.
The '-mente' Ending
This word is formed by taking the feminine form of the adjective 'grave' and adding '-mente.' It works exactly like adding '-ly' to an English adjective to describe how an action happens.
Where to Put It
In Spanish, adverbs like 'gravemente' usually come right after the verb they describe (e.g., 'sufrió gravemente') to keep the meaning clear.
Grave vs. Gravemente
Mistake: “Está gravemente.”
Correction: Está grave.
seriamente
se-ri-a-MEN-teseˈɾjamen̪te
Examples
Me pidió seriamente que no le mintiera.
He seriously asked me not to lie to him.
Ella me miró seriamente y me preguntó si estaba bien.
She looked at me seriously and asked me if I was okay.
Tienes que tomarte el trabajo seriamente si quieres un ascenso.
You have to take the job seriously if you want a raise.
Hablamos seriamente sobre el futuro de la empresa.
We spoke seriously about the future of the company.
Adverbs ending in -mente
Most Spanish adverbs that describe how something is done are formed by adding '-mente' (like English '-ly') to the feminine form of an adjective (e.g., 'seria' + 'mente' = 'seriamente').
Using the Adjective instead of the Adverb
Mistake: “Hablamos serio.”
Correction: Hablamos seriamente. (You need the '-mente' ending to describe the verb 'hablar'.)
Severity vs. Solemnity
Related Translations
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